David M. Smith, of Richmond, recently was promoted to senior vice president of Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer, located in Henrico. Smith has been with Thalhimer since 1989. He specializes in medical and retail sales and leasing, as well as site sales for high-density and mixed-use residential development. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Home Building Association of Richmond.

Family-owned Tuckaway Child Development Centers has announced its newest location in Varina, at the intersection of Midview and New Market Roads, to open in June. Located on five acres just ten minutes from downtown Richmond, the center has two in-ground pools with swimming lessons and other family events. The school will be led by Director Stacie Price, a graduate of Cambridge College in Boston and former teacher in the Richmond Public Schools system. Ashley Gordon will be the assistant director. For information on open house dates, enrollment specials and employment, visit http://www.tuckaway.cc .

The Central Virginia chapter of the American Cancer Society recently was awarded a $5,000 grant by The Willis Foundation, a nonprofit corporation affiliated with Willis Group Holdings, a global insurance broker with operations in Virginia. The donation was in honor of Jim Kitchin, Managing Partner of Virginia operations, who lost his battle with brain cancer in Nov. 2010. A check was presented to Patricia Jackson, Area Executive Director of the ACS, in the Willis of Virginia, Inc. office in Innsbrook.

Ken Wilcox, a solutions specialist with The Oracle/Sun User Group, recently gave a live presentation of the Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center, the industry’s first converged hardware management solution for Oracle’s Sun environments, at the Genworth Financial Building. During the demonstration, Wilcox explored inventory and discovery, provisioning (OS and Firmware), virtualization management, patch management and compliance reporting. To learn more about how OEM Ops Center can improve the efficiency of IT operations, call 800-820-5592, ext. 9164 or visit http://www.oracle.com .

Tami Wyrick, executive director of the Virginia Crime Prevention Association, recently participated in a certification program sponsored by the National Crime Prevention Council and the National Crime Prevention Association. The program helps to train and enhance the skills of those within the crime prevention field and it provides the much needed and long-awaited national recognition of their professional expertise and experience. The program is open to all qualified law enforcement and crime prevention practitioners.

Lisa Bainbridge was recently appointed catering sales manager at The Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center in Glen Allen. She will be responsible for overseeing the catering market segment for the hotel, which consists of weddings, banquets and other social events. Prior to joining Wyndham Virginia Crossings, Bainbridge worked in various catering positions in the Richmond market, including catering sales manager at the Hilton Short Pump and event and catering manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center recently was honored as Wyndham Hotels and Resorts’ Count On Me! Committee of the Year for 2010. The committee demonstrated exceptional performance through its sustainability initiatives and education; associate safety training and audits; active involvement in the community with locally based Northside Free Market and the Hanover County Animal Shelter; regular associate events and recognition initiatives; improved business results; and increased guest satisfaction.

The Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (RMCVB) recently honored individuals in the travel and tourism industry who have made a positive impact on the industry regionally. Brian Mitchell of Comfort Suites at Virginia Center Commons received the 2011 Easy to Love Customer Service Award for his work as a guest service representative. He was congratulated for his willingness to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to make sure that hotel guests are happy.